Bolt key



April 2%, W249 J.- ZILLIOX BOLT KEY Filed June 22. 1923 Patented Apr. 2%,l92-4i.

JOHN ZILLIOX, OE ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK.

BOLT KEY.

Application filed June 22,1928. Serial No. 645,087.

To all whom it may concern:

,Be it known that 1,5 OHN ZILLiox, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Orchard Park, in the county ofErie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bolt Keys, of which the following is a specification,

This invention relates to a bolt key which is to be used in connection with a key bolt for the purpose of detachably connecting two parts as a substitute for ordinary nuts and bolts.

As is well known the iron work of build.- ings, ships and similar structures frequently requires a temporary connection before being permanently connected either by means of ordinary bolts, rivets or the like and it is now a common practice to use for this purpose key bolts which can be quickly adapted to the parts for temporarily connecting the same and also quickly detached 7 therefrom after their use is no longer re quired.

It has been found however that the bolt keys used in connection with such key bolts, as heretofore constructed, had to be made unduly long in order to permit of using the right angle or taper on the same which would avoid slipping back of the bolt key after the same had been tightened, this eX- cessive length being objectionable on account of the amount of material required for their manufacture and also on account of the inability to use this character of bolt in close quarters where the necessary room was not available. a

It is therefore the object of this inventionto provide a bolt key which is considerably shorter than those now in common use and thus effect a saving in the amount of material which is used and also producing a more compact construction which permits of using this kind of a bolt in cramped quarters, and still permit of readily tightening or driving home with ease and facility and also securely holding the bolt key in place so that the same is not liable to become loose after being tightened.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing my improved bolt key used in connection with a key bolt for securing together two members. Figure 2 is a cross sectional elevation of the same taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a side elevation of the bolt key showing a slight modification of Similar characters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures.

Although the key boltv in connection with which my invention is to be used may be employed for connecting various members the. same is shown in the drawings as applied to the overlapping ends of two metal plates 10, 11, which are detachably connected by the use of a key bolt equipped with one of my improved bolt keys. The key bolt comprises a shank or body 12 passing through corresponding openings in the overlapping plates 10, 11, and provided at the front end with a head 13 which bears against the outer side of the plate 11, while the central part thereof is provided with a longitudinal slot 14%, the outer end of which forms a seat, bearing or abutment 15 which is arranged at a distance from the outer side of the plate 10.

16 represents the bolt key which is constructed of sheet metal in the form of a plate which is of tapering form and driven with its small end through the outer part of the slot 14 in the bolt shank so that the inner longitudinal edge 17 of this key is arranged at right angles to the axis of the bolt and bears against the outer side of the plate 10, while the outer edge of the key 1 bears against the abutment 15 at the outer end of the slot 14. I

This outer edge of the bolt key is constructed to form a succession of tightening or wedging inclines or surfaces 18 which are arranged at a comparatively steep angle relatively to the inner or base edge 17 of the key, and a series of holding or retaining surfaces 19 which alternate with the wedging surfaces and are so constructed that'they are arranged parallel or nearly parallel with the inner longitudinal edge 17 of the bolt key so that they produce a substantially nonwedging efiect. These wedging surfaces and holding surfaces are arranged alternately on the outer longitudinal edge of the bolt key. In the preferred construction the wedging surfaces are inclined at about a seven per. cent grade and the holding surfaces at about a two per cent grade. Upon driving such a bolt key through the outer part of the slot in the body of a key bolt the inner longitudinal edge of this key will slide along the adjacent surface of the re spective member of those to be coupled,

relatively to each other. As each wedging inclined surface engages with the seat-or abutment onthe key bolt the parts to be coupled are'drawn more tightly together,

the inclination of these inclines being such as to enable a workman with a hammer, us-

uallyemployed for this purpose to drive the bolt key forwardly 'and'obtain the desired tightening effect. The angle for these w'edgingor tightening'surfaces 18, which hasbeen. found from past experience to be most satisfactory, is about seven per cent. The retaining 'or resting surfaces 19 on the inclined edge of the bolt key may either be arranged at a very slight angle relatively L to the inner edge 17 of the bolt key, say a grade of about two per cent,,as shown in Figure 1, which grade is so slight that when oneor the other of these holding or retaining surfaces of the bolt key engages with the seat or abutment of the key bolt the inclination will he so minute that there will be practically no tendency for the bolt key tofslip back but instead will form a definite stopping place for the bolt key to engage the key bolt'without any tendency of one of these parts slipping with reference to the other and thus insure holding the partgfwhich have been clamped together securely against each other.

If desired however the retaining or hOid'.

ing "surfaces of the bolt key can be made perfectly parallel relative tov the inner or base edge 17 0f the bolt key, as shown at 20 in Figure 3.

By means of this construction of the bolt key the same can be made considerably shorter than. bolt keys'heretofore in use, 45'

thereby eifectinga considerable economy on account of the reduced amount of material required :and the same also perm ts of 'using key bolts in comparativelynarrow places where long bolt keys would be prohibited.

The bolt keys heretofore in use in con-I nection with key bolts have had their in-- clined or outer wedging surface arranged at. anangle less than seven percent grade in order to enable this key to obtain a friction grip on the key bolt and still prevent the key from slipping back or becoming loose in the bolt. jectionable whenusing a bolt of this character in boiler work, in which case the-bolts would become reversed as the boiler. was

turned and the keys would often'drop out ranged to effect.

This form is particularly obof the bolts when the boiler was vibrated due to theoperation of fastening rivets in the same. On the other hand a comparatively steep angle, which would permit of shortening the key, would be objectionable because the same would not give a good hold to the key in the bolt and thus cause the same to loosen. In the present case a coinparatively steep angle is employed on the wedging surfacesso as to obtaina quick drawing action of the key in the bolt but afterthe drawing of each section of the key has been accomplished the bolt is permitted to rest on a comparatively fiat, low angle ,or neutral portion of the key so that the same will stay in the position where it has been 7 driven without any liability of becoming loose. the parts are tight when the bolt is in engagement with the higher partof one of the If whendriving a key into a bolt inclined wedging surfaces it is possible by giving the key an extra heavy blow to drive the key sufiiciently further to engage the next succeedingrholding face with the bolt inasmuch-as the metal of the bolt and the key will stretch sufiicientlyfor this purpose and thereby prevent the key from slipping backward and instead holding the bolt under tension. 7

I claim as my invention:

1. A bolt key comprising a plate adapted l l to be driven into the slot of a key bolt and and outer longitudinal edges, said inner edge being adapted to engage withthe adjacent member through which the bolt passes'and arranged parallel therewith and the outeredge'engaging with the outer end of the slot in the bolt and constructed to a series of holding. surfaces which alternate with said wedge surfaces and which are ar- 7 produce a substantially neutral 2. Abolt key comprising a plate adapted to be driven into the slot of a key bolt and provided with forwardly converging inner and outer longitudinal edges, said inner edge being adapted to engage with the adjacent member through which the bolt passes and arranged parallel therewith and the outer edge engaging with the outerend of the slot in the bolt andconstructed to form a series of steep wedge surfaces and a series of holding surfaces which alternate with said wedge surfaces and whichare ar-I ranged at a sufficiently lesser angle relative to said inner edge'to produce anon-slipping effect of the key in said key bolt.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

JOHN ZILLIOX.

provided with forwardly converging inner V 100. form a series of steep wedge surfaces and 

